John h



(No Model.)

' J. H. SNAPP.

RACING HARNESS ATTACHMENT.

Np. 599,365. Patented Feb. 22, 1898.

java/afa 7T 1&65565 m: Noam PLIERS co, PHQYO-LITNU. WASHINGTON, urlhvrrnn Sra'rns Tartar rricn.

JOHN H. SNAPP, OF XVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

RAClNG HARNESS ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,365, dated February22, 1898.

Application filed May 1, 1897. Serial No. 634,741. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. SNAPP, a citizen of the United States,residing at ashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented acertain new, useful, and valuable Improvement in Racing-HarnessAttachments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention has relation to harness attachments adapted to be appliedto the harness of racing-horses when such horses are pulling sulkies orlike vehicles; and it consists in the novel construction andarrangements of its parts, as hereinafter described.

My attachment is generally known as the one minute harness attachment.

The object of my invention is to provide an attachment that may beapplied to any harness-saddle, said attachment coupling the horse withthe vehicle and dispensing with the use of breast-straps, collars, andbreeching, and thus removing all impediment to the action of the horsein trotting or pacing.

The further object of my invention is to provide such an attachmentwhich will pivotally connect the horse to the vehicle and thus relievethe vehicle of any up-and-down motion, generally termed horse motion.

The further object of my invention is to provide an attachment whichwhen used with sulkies will effectively brace the shafts of the sulkyand prevent said shafts from twisting or bending out of their properalinement.

The further object of my invention is to provide such an attachment thatis thoroughly adjustable in all its parts and can be readilyaccommodated to horses of different size.

The further object of my invention is to provide such an attachment witha thimble of especial construction, said thimble being adapted toreceive the end of the shaft.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the horseattached to a sulky, showing my attachment located on the harness. Fig.2 is a side view of the attachment detached from the harness. Fig. 3 isa longitudinal sectional view of the thimble used on the attachment.Fig. 4 is a side view of the forward portion of a modified form of theharness attachment.

In the form of the attachment as shown in Fig. 4c the holdback-straps 7and 10 are formed by splitting a wider strap. The forward ends of theholdbaclcstraps 7 and 10 are secured to the thimble 1. The rear ends ofthe straps 7 and 10 pass, respectively, through a suitable eye 8 on thebuckle 9 and the ring 11 and are secured by means of the buckles 21 and22, as shown.

The attachment consists of the thimble 1, said thimble being made,preferably, of leather and being conical in shape. The forward end ofthe thimble 1 is closed by the plug 2, said plug being preferably madeof wood. The thimble is preferably made of leather. The shank of thestrip 3 is secured on the outer side of the thimble 1, the rear end ofsaid strip being bifurcated and forming the straps 4; 4t. Said strapsare folded back on each other, and the extreme ends of the straps aresecured in the interior of the thimble 1 opposite the shank of the strip3. A buckle 5 is located at the extreme rear end of each fold of eachstrap 1. A keeper 6 is located on the thimble 1 immediately above thestrip 3. The upper holdback-strap 7 is secured at its front end to theupper buckle 5, the free end of said strap 7 passing under the keeper 6.The rear end of said strap is secured to the eye 8 of the buckle 9. Thelower holdback-strap 10 is secured at its forward end to the lowerbuckle 5, the free end of said strap 10 also passing under the keeper 6.The rear end of the strap 10 is secured to the ring 11. The billet 12 issecured to the lower side of the buckle 9. Said billet is adapted tosupport a tug of ordinary construction. The forward end of the trace 13is bifurcated, and the upper bifurcated end of said trace passes throughthe eye 14 of the buckle 9, and the extreme end of the upper bifurcatedend of the trace is secured by means of a buckle 15 to an intermediatepoint of the said upper end of the trace. The lower bifurcated end ofthe trace 13 passes through the ring 11 and is secured by means of abuckle 16 to an illtermediate point of the lower bifurcation. The billet17 passes through the ring 11 between the lower bifurcation of the trace13 and the holdback-strap 10. The trace 13 is provided at its rear endwith a number of perforations 18, saidperforations being adapted toreceive the ends of the singletree.

The attachment as thus described may be applied to any harness byremoving the tug from the tug-strap and passing the tug-strap throughthe buckle 9 and locating the said buckle at the proper height on thesaid tugstrap. The buckle 9 will then rest on the saddle of the harness,as shown in Fig. 1. The tug is then replaced on the lower end of thetug-strap, and thus the attachment is applied to the harness.

When the attachment is applied to the harness as thus described, theshafts are run through the tugs and the ends of the shafts enter thethimbles 1. The girth-strap 19 is then wound about the shaft behind andin front of the tug, and the free end of said strap 19 is secured in thebuckle 20, said buckle 20 being located on the belly-band of theharness. The billet 17 is then secured in the buckle 20 on top of theend of the strap 19. By adjusting the traces and the upper and lowerholdback-straps in the buckles 15 16 and 5 5 the length of theattachment is regulated to the size of the particular horse. Byadjusting the perpendicular position of the buckle 9 on the tug-strapand by adjusting the billet 17 in the buckle 20 the attachment isperpendicularly adjusted at three points on each side of the horse tomeet the circumference of the horses body. It will be seen that when theattachment is thus applied the ends of the shafts of a sulky are bracedbetween the thimble and the tug,and the holdback-straps 7 and 10 preventany bending or rocking motion of the shafts.

With such an attachment as above described the ringsll 11 are insubstantially thesame line transversely as the pivotal point of thehorses body while he is trotting or pacing, and as the straps 10 10, thebillet 17 and the lower bifurcations of the traces 13 have a limitedamount of play within the rings 11 the said motion compensates for theoscillatory motion of the horses body. No horse motion is transmitted tothe sulky.

It will also be seen that the lower bifurcations of the traces and thelower holdbackstraps 10 prevent the belly-band from slipping either backor forward under the horse, and thus the belly-band is held in itsproper place and is not permitted to rub the elbows of the horses frontlegs.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A harness attachment consisting of a thimble adapted to receive theend of the shaft, holdback-straps secured to said thimble, a buckleattached to the end of the upper holdback-strap,said buckle adapted toreceive the tug-strap of the saddle of the harness, a billet attached tosaid buckle, said billet adapted to support the tug, a ring secured tothe end of the lower holdback-strap, a billet located on said ring, saidbillet adapted to enter a buckle on the belly-band, a trace having itsforward end bifurcated, the upper bifurcation being secured to thetug-strap buckle and the lower bifurcation being attached to the ring.

2. A harness attachment consisting of a thimble adapted to receive theends of the shaft, holdback-straps attached at their forward ends tosaid thimble, the rear end of the upper holdback-strap being adapted tobe made fast to a stationary part of the harness, the rear end of thelower holdback-strap being adapted to be connected to the belly-band ofthe horse, a connection connecting the rear end of the upper end of theholdback-strap With the belly-band,said connection surrounding theshaft, a trace having its forward end bifurcated, the upper bifurcationof said trace being connected to the rear end of the upperholdback-strap and the lower bifurcation of the trace being connected tothe rear end of the lower holdback-strap.

3. In an attachment such as described, a thimble adapted to receive theend of the shaft, the forward end of the thimble being closed, a strapsecured at its shank to the outer side of the thimble, the rear end ofsaid strap being bifurcated, said rear ends being folded down andsecured to the inner side of the thimble, a keeper secured to thethimble over the shank of the strap-buckles located at the outer ends ofthe folds of the bifurcations of the strap, said buckles adapted toreceive the holdback-straps, the ends of the holdbackstraps adapted topass under the keeper attached to the thimble.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. SNAPP.

Witnesses:

A. E. GLAscocK, BERTHA L. DANA.

